


Trusting Soul

by anorienparker



Category: Firefly
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-13
Updated: 2011-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-23 17:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/252675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anorienparker/pseuds/anorienparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Takes place just after the end of “Trash” when Simon tells Jayne that no matter what, he will never harm him, that on his medical table, he’ll always be safe.  The drugs have worn off and the two men come to an understanding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trusting Soul

Simon ran his thumbs up Jayne’s spine, doing his best to remain professional. The drug he’d given Jayne to knock out his motor functions had finally worn off and rather than simply let Jayne struggle to sit up, Simon had steadied him and lifted his upper body, surprising Jayne with his strength. He’d insisted on a final exam before he’d even consider letting his patient stand.

Jayne made odd little hitching noises though, as Simon’s fingers moved. “Sore?”

“I....yeah,” Jayne said, though his voice sounded a bit strained.

“Where is it the sorest?”

“Right....there,” Jayne said and for some reason, his words sounded rather...random. “Jayne, I’m not even touching your back where it should hurt. You mean it hurts all the way down here too?” Simon was concerned, ready to manhandle Jayne back on the table if he had to, this time on his stomach so he could do a proper exam.

“It’s fine,” Jayne snapped and would have slid off the table entirely if Simon hadn’t grabbed his hips and held him steady.

“You’re not ready to walk yet,” Simon said in the matter of fact tone he was known for. His eyes drifted over a bit and his fingers touched a long, thick scar over Jayne’s right shoulder blade. “How’d you get this?” he asked softly, hoping that if Jayne had the chance to talk about his heroics, he’d be more prone to sitting still for a bit longer until the drugs wore completely off.

There was no answer for a few seconds, then Jayne shook his head. “A job on Mantran,” he finally said. “Gorram fools had bayonettes, five of ‘em, and one sliced me pretty deep when my back was turned.”

Simon nodded, biting his bottom lip between his teeth. “And you didn’t have it stitched properly did you?”

“No. Proper stitchin’ wasn’t exactly at the top of my to-do list at the time.” Jayne sighed and Simon smiled a little when it was obvious Jayne was rolling his eyes.

“And this one?” Long fingers trailed over another scar, this one lower on the other man’s back, just above his belt.

He would have sworn Jayne was having trouble breathing, so he quickly moved to the other side of the table. A heartbeat later, he was standing between Jayne’s legs, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding the end of a stethoscope against his chest.

The heart pounding beneath his fingers was strong and steady, if a bit faster than it should have been, but the lungs sounded fine.

“Jayne, are you all right?”

The mercenary’s eyes were level with his own just then, a novel experience for them both. They met Simon’s and Simon found that he suddenly couldn’t move.

“‘m fine.” But Jayne didn’t look fine. His face was flushed and his eyes looked too dark and he was sitting funny, with his hands over his crotch like he was hiding...

 _Oh._

But that didn’t make any sense, because Jayne hated him, probably hated him even more after his heartfelt “I will never harm you” speech and River’s little goading comment after he’d left the room. He’d turned back as soon as he’d heard it. No matter how much animosity was between them, he couldn’t let Jayne lie there, as good as paralyzed while he was being threatened by the very girl who’d taken a knife to his chest for no reason at all. That would scare anyone...even a man like Jayne.

Simon realized his hand was still on Jayne’s shoulder but he didn’t move it. The next thing he knew, Jayne was making an effort to move his hands, which were still a bit unsteady from the drugs. Then, Simon was the one having trouble breathing because those large, rough hands were suddenly on his hips, dragging him closer.

Absurdly....he wasn’t resisting. And, yes, _oh, hello_ there was a rather disturbingly huge tent in Jayne’s pants he realized when he pulled the stethoscope out of his ears and let it drop to the floor unnoticed.

“You’re a good man, Doc,” Jayne said, his blue eyes moving over Simon’s face in a way that made Simon feel completely exposed. “What you said about you never hurtin’ me...” He had the grace to look down for a moment, and when their eyes met again, Simon could clearly see guilt and regret shining there. “I will trust you. And you can trust me. I ain’t gonna cause you no trouble.”

Simon couldn’t look away. He told himself that Jayne had just been unconscious, just had a concussion, had just been drugged and unable to move. But his eyes were perfectly clear and his words seemed sincere.

Jayne closed his eyes and breathed in. “You smell good,” he murmured. “Real good. All clean and fresh-like.” As he spoke, Jayne was drawing him closer. Simon’s hand slid from that broad shoulder down over Jayne’s back and then suddenly Simon’s face was tilting, and he was so close to Jayne they were breathing each other’s air. Their lips were barely, but not quite, touching, a mere hairsbreadth of air between them.

Simon had absolutely no idea who moved in first, but by the time he drew in another breath, his lips had parted and Jayne’s tongue, warm and wet, was sliding past them, licking the inside of his mouth.

The kiss lasted forever.

And not nearly long enough.

Simon pulled away only when he needed air, and Jayne immediately backed up a bit. “Sorry, Doc, I....”

He didn’t get the chance to finish because then Simon was kissing Jayne, all mouth and tongue and roaming hands moving over warm skin and soft little sighs that no one on Serenity had ever heard either Simon or Jayne make before.

This time, when they pulled away for air, Jayne rested his forehead against Simon’s and drew him even closer. His hands rested on Simon’s hips, fingers just meeting at the small of his back.

“Then.....I reckon you forgive me for Ariel?” The corners of Jayne’s mouth twitched a little, but when Simon drew back to look at him, he could see the worry still there in those dark blue eyes. His hand moved over Jayne’s face, along his jawline and down his neck and then Simon was the one smiling at the way Jayne shivered.

“I’m fairly certain that was an I-forgive-you-but-you’d-better-never-do-it-again sort of kiss,” Simon whispered, leaning in and kissing a trail from Jayne’s ear down his neck and across his shoulder.

Jayne’s head fell back and his eyes closed. He moaned softly when Simon sucked on his shoulder, leaving a dark red mark behind. “You got my word on it. No more betrayin’, not from me, not even on your moon headed sister” he managed, working his hands under Simon’s shirt to rub his back.

~*~

“Finally.”

Everyone looked up at River expectantly. They’d learned to listen to her strange words, to take them for what they were - sometimes brilliant, sometimes nonsensical, but always worth listening to.

“Found what they needed. Water and dust. Light and dark. Absolution and forgiveness. Soft and sweet, hard and hidden. Need and want.”

Everyone at the table looked around, then smiled knowingly.

“Well it’s about gorram time those two figured it all out,” Wash said as he dug back into his food.

“Amen,” Book nodded.

“Do you think we could sneak down there and watch?” Kaylee asked hopefully.


End file.
